Many (not all) brick lighthouses built in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century contained a half brick (cut) course layed approximately every 6th course, horizontally. This technique was also completed in many brick buildings at the same approximate time, in history.

Two questions: (1) What was the name of this course of brick and (2) What was it's purpose?

Actually the brick is not cut in half. Two walls are put up at the same time. Every 6th course the bricks areput across the 2 walls to hold them together. It is still done in some places, but most of the time they use cinder block and they have metal clips that are in the joint of the blocks and they are attached to the face brick in the bed joint. Wow I never thought I would ever explain that to anybody. If you are looking at a house and you see that bond in the brick work, you know you have a solid masonry house, not a brick facade.

You're right, Rocky...it is NOT a cut brick...my error for including it. The full 'tie brick' is layed perpendicular to the rest of the course. The name of that course is called a "Tie Course." All bricks layed in that course are perpendicular with none being in 'stretcher' form (layed full length to the exterior exposure).

Good try, Kevin! Flemish bond (both single and double stretcher) does have a perpendicular 'tie brick' but is seperated by either a single or double stretcher on both sides.

I used to be a bricklayer a long time ago. I have not thought about building walls in a while but when I see a brick lighthouse, I just have to admire the craftsmanship. You can see it in the brick. When they put a shell over it, or stucco over it, you can't see what kind of craftsmanship they put into it because it is hidden. (This is coming from someone who lives in a stucco house.)

To answer your question, Kevin....yes, 'tie courses' were almost exclusively used with a common bond. There was no need to use them with any type of Flemish or English bonds as it would have been structurally redundant.

Carol....I'll see what I can find on the internet so you can actually see it as it was applied. Several years ago I took some close-ups of the brickwork at Currituck LH because it isn't stucco'd or painted, however, I can't seem to get my hands on them at the moment. Currituck, Hatteras, and Bodie Island Lh's were all layed by the same team of mason's. The St. Augustine light in Florida may have also been constructed with the same team. I'll see what I can find.

Rocky, I agree with you totally. The brickwork in many of the lights is amazing. Those lights with the gentle curviture (such as many of the English lights) blows my mind. One of the finest examples of lighthouse brickwork comes from a light that one doesn't hear much about....Port Sanilac Lh, Michigan. It is a beautiful octagon tower with a large corbeled crown and belt course near the top of the tower. Currituck's brick window treatment is outstanding, as it Bodie's.

Carole, Scituate's fine now. I had some pictures emailed to me by my friend's daughter from this past summer when she and her family spent a day at the beach at Scituate. Naturally they took some for me with the lighthouse in the background! I can't find them now, must have deleted them? Sorry.

Modern brick towers were built in Australia in 1984- they are Guilderton in Western Australia and Troubridge Hill in South Australia. These were the last traditional looking lighthouses built in AustraliaThey are both 30m tall to the balcony level, the lantern rooms are AGA typesThe bricks used are tapered at the ends to help lock them in. Interestingly they built a test wall to get the curvature correct and test the construction methods (these still stand and can be seen in the pics), they also placed a liftable centre post inside the barrel, as the courses rise with 3x spirit level arms on it. This is how they kept each course level as it rose. This can be seen in the pics as a pole in the centre of the barrelI hope the pics look ok, I especially like the guy in picture 3 wearing the ?????